Colleton County hears pitch for HBCU-led ‘smart cities’ program; county asked to join pilot cohort
July 08, 2025 | Colleton County, South Carolina
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Pathway Community Foundation representatives told Colleton County Council on July 8 that their HBCU Smart Cities program can bring student teams and technical partners to build prototype solutions for local problems.
“A big part of what we do is building tangible products to what we call pressing and real issues,” said Aiden Desai, co‑founder and director of partnerships for Pathway Community Foundation. He told the council the program focuses on small and mid‑size jurisdictions and pairs HBCU students with local officials to produce implementable prototypes.
The foundation described a multi‑month schedule beginning in July with workshops, a project‑scoping phase that produces a “problem objective statement,” an August kickoff with a city point‑of‑contact who will act as a liaison, September site visits in Colleton County, and a November grand finale where teams present working prototypes. Kevin Femengia, co‑founder and director of innovation, said fellows typically include developers, project managers, business analysts and designers and that the program has produced tools for pedestrian‑safety mapping, resource‑finder chatbots and AI‑assisted pipe assessment in other municipalities.
Program cost and timeline were clearly stated. Desai said the R&D onboarding and cohort participation cost is $10,000 per city, with a $5,000 deposit requested by Aug. 15 to secure curriculum partners and staffing. He said Pathway will work with local staff to limit burden on city employees and provide a “smart city coach” to liaise with student teams.
Council members asked whether the foundation has worked with counties; Desai responded the group has worked primarily with cities and with Charlotte as its largest client, and that this would be its first county partner in South Carolina if Colleton participates. No formal vote or contract discussion followed the presentation; the item was a staff appearance and informational briefing.
The foundation listed partners and technology tools used in prior cohorts including ArcGIS and third‑party APIs; Desai also said the program draws students from Benedict College and other HBCUs in South Carolina. He said about 500 students applied to the program nationally over three years and roughly 80 fellows had participated to date.
Colleton County Council did not take action on the presentation; members asked follow‑up questions and thanked the presenters.
The council packet will be updated with a copy of the foundation’s slide deck if requested by staff.
“A big part of what we do is building tangible products to what we call pressing and real issues,” said Aiden Desai, co‑founder and director of partnerships for Pathway Community Foundation. He told the council the program focuses on small and mid‑size jurisdictions and pairs HBCU students with local officials to produce implementable prototypes.
The foundation described a multi‑month schedule beginning in July with workshops, a project‑scoping phase that produces a “problem objective statement,” an August kickoff with a city point‑of‑contact who will act as a liaison, September site visits in Colleton County, and a November grand finale where teams present working prototypes. Kevin Femengia, co‑founder and director of innovation, said fellows typically include developers, project managers, business analysts and designers and that the program has produced tools for pedestrian‑safety mapping, resource‑finder chatbots and AI‑assisted pipe assessment in other municipalities.
Program cost and timeline were clearly stated. Desai said the R&D onboarding and cohort participation cost is $10,000 per city, with a $5,000 deposit requested by Aug. 15 to secure curriculum partners and staffing. He said Pathway will work with local staff to limit burden on city employees and provide a “smart city coach” to liaise with student teams.
Council members asked whether the foundation has worked with counties; Desai responded the group has worked primarily with cities and with Charlotte as its largest client, and that this would be its first county partner in South Carolina if Colleton participates. No formal vote or contract discussion followed the presentation; the item was a staff appearance and informational briefing.
The foundation listed partners and technology tools used in prior cohorts including ArcGIS and third‑party APIs; Desai also said the program draws students from Benedict College and other HBCUs in South Carolina. He said about 500 students applied to the program nationally over three years and roughly 80 fellows had participated to date.
Colleton County Council did not take action on the presentation; members asked follow‑up questions and thanked the presenters.
The council packet will be updated with a copy of the foundation’s slide deck if requested by staff.
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